Furnace-charging apparatus.



PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906.

I. G. ROBERTS. PURNAGE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATIOH FILED HOV-10. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

uymm Z mvcrrron zQw /c G. 03, 444i ATTORNIY' N0. 829,544. PATENTED AUG. 28, 1906 F; G. ROBERTS. PURNAOB CHARGING APPARATUS.

ALPLJOLI'IOH FILED NOV. 10. 1905.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNCSIEE:

"OVEN I'D A-r-ronuiis N0- 829,544. PATBNTED AUG. 28, 1906.

F. G. ROBERTS. FURNAGE CHARGING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 10, 1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3i Pia-E 6 W3 67/0 j- I INVINTDH M C; W,

ATTORNEYS FRANK (LROBERTS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE-CHARGING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters .Patent.

Patented Aug. 28, 1906. l

Application filed Ncv'embcr 10, 1905. Serial No. 286,703.

To all whom it may concern.-

' Be it known that I, FRANK C. ROBERTS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Penns lvania, have invented or discovered new and useful Improvements in Furnace-Charging Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

The object of the improvement is to secure a more uniform distribution of the materials charged into the furnace. It is found under certain conditions as to the physical characteristics of the materials to be delivered into the furnace that in the case of furnace-charging apparatus commonly in use the very fine material is apt to separate from the coarser materials and lie in a certain portion of the sup lementary hop er. This condition natura ly leads to the er materials being delivered to one portion of the furnace, making it more diflicult for the blast supplied to the furnace to enetrate the materials uniformly throug out the cross-section of the furnace. The location of the finer materials in the ordinary supplementary hopper is practically identical each time said hopper is filled, and the object I have in view-na'mely, the more uniform distribution of the materials within the furnace-will be secured if provision is made to revolve the supplementary hopper before discharging the contents into the main ho per, so that the normal distribution is made at two or more J points. The manner in which I refer to secure the said distribution will be 0 early understood by reference to the drawings which accompany this specification, and in which Figure 1 represents an elevation, partly in vertical section, showing one embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2, a section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1'; Fi 3, a sectional view showing a second form 0 my invention Fig. 4, a similar section of a third form, thereof, and Fig. 5 a detail of the up or portion of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. land 2, A designates the furnace-ho per, and B'the bell for closin its mouth. e bell is raised and lowere by the steam-cylinder b, the iston-rod b, the lever". 1), the'link b and t e rod b, the latter being secured to the bell.

C is the sap lementary hop or located centrally overt e hopper A and having its mouth closed by the bell D, secured to the cross-piece d, supported by the upper section supplementa of the so plementary hopper C. The lower section of the latter ho per encircles the upper section and normal y extends below t e same into contact normally with the bell D, upon which it rests. The section 0' is provided with the flange 0, under which sits the ring 0, having at opposite sides the pins or trunnions c for the reception of the lower ends of the links c, secured to the forked ends of the lever c, pivoted at c. The other end of the.lever. c is operated by the rod c, which is conn cted to the lever c, operated by the steam-cylinder c and the weighted rod c. The end of the supplementary hopper C is provided with the circular flan e a which rests on the antifriction-wheefii carried by the brackets c". The hopper C is provided with the circular rack c with which engages the spur-gear c, driven by the motor a".

E is the top of the hop or A, and F is the distributing-chute carrie by the attached wheels f, runningon the tracks two of these chutes being provided and designed to discharge into the supplementary hopper C.

G is a skip-car (shown in dotted ines) of any preferred construction having the wheels g running on the track g and g.

H is a tube secured to the cross-piece d and surrounding the rod 6 to protect the latter from engagement with the ore.

The 0 oration is as follows: The ore is carried 11 t .oneof the skip-cars; and dum ed into t e c ute F, from which it falls into the supplementary hopper C. The section 0 of the opper C is raised by means'of the steamc linder c in an obvious manner, whereupon t e ore slides down on the bell D into the hopper A and upon the bell B. The section is then lowered u on the bell-D, and more ore is dumped into t e hopper C. The motor c" is then actuated to cause the supplementary hop er to turn a quarter-revolution, more or ess, when the section C is again raised and the ore deposited in the ho(p erA This process is repeated, the hopper eing turned a greater or less distance each time after the ore has been deposited therein. Of

course the bell B is operated from time to time by means of the cylinder bto deposit the ore in the furnace. Assuming that the hopper is not moved or is stationary, the or portionsof the mater als discharedby the skip-car will by passing down t e chute F and the hopper C concentrate lar sly in a definite position of the ho per 0, w ic position may becalled X. '1 1e materials are then discharged from the supplementary hopper C, as described, the finer materials falling into the hopper A directly under their position in the former hop er. When the bell B is lowered, they will rop into the furnace under their position X in the ho per A. When another car-load of materia s is dumped into the hopper C, the finer portions wil occupy the position X, as beore; but before the dischar the latter is rotated so thatt terials occupy a new called Y. The hop e of the hopper e said finer maposition, which may be er is now discharged, and the finermateria s will be finally dropped into a corres onding position in the furnace. Another caroad is deposited in the furnace in a similar manner, the hopper being rotated to take a third position, which may be called Z, and then discharged. The number of positions into which an entire revolution of the hopper C is divided may be varied, or the hopper C may be continuously rotated and the materials dischar ed at any point where hey might be when the section C is raised.

It will beseen that I get a more uniform distribution of the materials in the furnace than with the ordinary furnaces having stationary hoppers. I obtain this desirable distribution preferably by revolving the sup lementary hopper so that the distribution s 1all be made at two or more points and so that the distribution may be made symmetricaL The motor c can be controlled by hand or automatically, as may be desired. The ring c will normally'be out of contact with the flange c, as shown on Fig. 1, so as not to prevent the section C turning with the remainder of the hopper C.

Referrin to Fig. 3, the construction is the same as in s. 1 and 2, except the lever c" is connected directly with the plston-rod of the cylinder c, rendering the links and lever c unnecessary.

Referring to Figs. 4 and 5, the supplementary hopper C is not telescopic, as in Fi s. 1 to 3, the side wall bein in one iece an the bell D being raised and lowered by the tube H, which is connected at its lower end to said bell and at its upper endrto the lever it operated in any manner. The tube is raised and lowered by means of the links h, suspended from the lever in and connected to the rin h, surrounding the pipe H between the col ars or flanges h thereon. The operation of the invention is that the bell will be lowered after each partial rotation of the hopper corresponding to the timeswhen the section 1 of Fi s. 1 to 3 will be raised. The ring h ermitst e turning of the bell D and tube 1-, while hold.ir(rg the bell against the supplementary hopper The most striking feature of my invention consists in the, manner in which I secure a as in Figs. 1 to 3, except symmetrical arrangement of the furnace charges within the furnace. In the operation of my furnace I charge the supplenicntal hop )er so that the materials therein shall he uni 'ormly distributed therein. The distri bution can be modified more or less by moving the supplemental chutes backward or forward or laterally upon their tracks, and as the supplemental hopper is at each charge suhstantlally filled or has the materials therein of substantially the same depth in all portions thereof the discharge of its contentswill have a symmetrical arrangement in the lower hopper. This charge being symmetrically arranged in the lower hopper will when the bell is lowered be symmetrically arranged within the furnace. This operation is re eated, with the modification that the supp emental hopper is rotated about ninety degrees before the charge is deposited in the lower hopper. At the next operation the supplemental hopper is rotated, about one hundred and eighty degrees and at the next operation about two hundred and seventy degrees. Where the material is deposited in the lower ho per by a rotating chute having a door at its ower end and adapted to be rotated to de osit the charge at a limited portion of the ower hopper, the materials in the lower hopper will not be arranged symmetrically at each charge of the up er hopper. In m furnace the symmetrical charge in the suppl hmental hopper is symmetrically ar ranged after discharge in the lower hopper, and the charge inthe lower hopper is when deposited in the furnace arranged therein s mmetrically not only as to the quantity of e material in all parts-of the annular deposit in its furnace, but also as to the distribution of the finer and coarser materials.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a furnace, a lower main hopper, means for dischargin the same, an upper supplemental hopper, aving a fixed bell and a lateral portion movable to discharge a load in the supplemental hopper into the mainhopper, means for rotating the supplemental hopper, means for moving the lateral )ortion away from the bell to discharge the oad in' the supplemental hopper into the main hopper and a connection between the said lateral portion and said movin means therefor, permitting the rotation of the supplemental hoper. p 2. In a furnace, a lower main hopper, means for dischargin the same, an u per supplemental hopper, aving a fixed be] and a vertical annular latera] portion resting on the bell, means for raising said lateral portion above said bell, a connection between said lateral portion and said raisin "means, permittin the rotation of the supp emental hoper an means for rotating sai supplemental opper.

3. In a. furnace, a lower main hopper,

means for discharging the same, an upper Si ed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this slu plementall hopper, lllavin a fixed bottom 9th ay of November, 1905.

an a vertica annu ar atera ortion restin on the bottom, a ring swive ed about sai ROBERTS lateral portion, means cooperating with said Witl'lesses:

ring to raise said lateral portion, and means RANDOLPH H. MILLER,

for rotating the supplemental hopper. L. KRYDER LAOHMA 

